ARTD 3015: The Development of the Silk Road: Syllabus

ARTD3015: The Development of the Silk Road

Professor Anna Carroll

Anna.carroll@brooklyn.cuny.edu

Classes: Tuesday and Thursday 3:40-4:55 on Zoom

Office Hours: Tuesdays 2:30-3:30 on Zoom

Learning Goals

1. Students will gather, interpret, and assess information from a variety of sources and points of view.
2. Students will evaluate evidence and arguments critically or analytically.
3. Students will produce well-reasoned written or oral arguments using evidence to support conclusions.
4. Students will identify and apply the fundamental concepts and methods of the Silk Road, including but not limited to, archeology, anthropology, art history, history, and literature. These will be studied and approached critically and analytically in team exercises in class which compare various methods.
5. The Silk Road itself is a process of globalization and contributed(s) to global diversity. We will analyze this from many different standpoints: economic, art historical, archaeological, anthropological, historical, and so on.
6. Students will learn about the arts, histories, and cultures of East and Central Asia, surrounding the Silk Road through history, but particularly in the medieval period. This is assessed with quizzes, exams, and papers.

Course Policies

Late Work and Make Up Work Policy: Generally, I do not accept late work nor do I offer make up assignments. If there are extenuating circumstances, please email me as soon as possible to discuss an extension. Emergencies happen and advance notice is not always possible, so please be in touch as soon as you can be regarding any missed/late assignments. This includes technology issues; no student will be penalized for an assignment that was not turned in due to a technology issue, such as an email not going through or internet service being down.

Plagiarism Statement, according to Brooklyn College:

The faculty and administration of Brooklyn College support an environment free from cheating and plagiarism. Each student is responsible for being aware of what constitutes cheating and plagiarism and for avoiding both. The complete text of the CUNY Academic Integrity Policy and the Brooklyn College procedure for policy implementation can be found at www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/policies. If a faculty member suspects a violation of academic integrity and, upon investigation, confirms that violation, or if the student admits the violation, the faculty member MUST report the violation. Students should be aware that faculty may use plagiarism detection software.

Plagiarism will NOT be tolerated in this class, and any instance of plagiarism will result in a 0% for the course. Please come to office hours or make an appointment if you have any questions about plagiarism or need help citing sources.

Online Code of Conduct: It is extremely important that the online classroom be a safe and respectful environment. To that end, there are a few expectations for behavior in all virtual learning spaces, including but not limited to Zoom meetings. There should be no cursing in any of these spaces. When responding to a classmate, please do so respectfully, even when disagreeing. For example, calling someone else’s idea “stupid,” is against our code of conduct. When disagreeing, offer evidence or ask questions in a collegial way that encourages further discussion, rather than invalidating a classmate’s ideas. Should there ever be an issue, please feel free to contact me. On Zoom, you are encouraged but not required to have your camera on. Please mute yourself when you are not speaking. Zoom sessions will not be recorded as this is a privacy issue.

Disability Policy, as per Brooklyn College:

The Center for Student Disability Services (CSDS) is currently working remotely. In order to receive disability-related academic accommodations students must first be registered with CSDS. Students who have a documented disability or suspect they may have a disability are invited to schedule an interview by calling (718) 951-5538 or emailing testingcsds@brooklyn.cuny.edu. If you have already registered with CSDS, email Josephine.Patterson@brooklyn.cuny.edu or testingcsds@brooklyn.cuny.edu to ensure the accommodation email is sent to your professor.

Student Bereavement Policy: Students who experience the death of a loved one must contact the Division of Student Affairs, 2113 Boylan Hall, if they wish to implement either the Standard Bereavement Procedure or the Leave of Absence Bereavement Procedure. The Division of Student Affairs has the right to request a document that verifies the death (e.g., a funeral program or death notice).

Typically, this death involves that of a family member, in parallel to the bereavement policy for faculty and staff. However, it is up to the discretion of the Division of Student Affairs to determine if a death outside of the immediate family warrants implementation of the student bereavement policy.

http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/about/initiatives/policies/bereavement.php

Nonattendance because of religious beliefs: According to New York State Education Law, students will not be penalized for missing class because of religious beliefs. Please see the Undergraduate Bulletin for more information.

A Note on Technology: I expect there will be technology issues throughout the semester; if you can’t access something

or are having issues with internet access, please email me to let me know as soon as possible.

Brooklyn College has made a number of resources available for students during the ongoing pandemic. These can be found at: https://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/about/offices/studentaffairs/health-wellness/coronavirus/student-resources.php

If you have concerns or issues that arise during the semester due to the pandemic as regards assignments, class participation, etc…, please reach out to me.

PLEASE NOTE:  I reserve the right to change this syllabus throughout the semester. Please check the course website for updates.

Course Schedule and Readings

Unit 1: Introduction

February 1 (Tuesday): Introduction

Readings due before class:

1. None

Major assignments due:

1. None

February 3 (Thursday): What is the Silk Road?

Readings due before class:

1. Explore UNESCO’s Silk Road Interactive Map: https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/silkroad-interactive-map
2. “The Silk Road: Connecting the Ancient World Through Trade,”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn3e37VWc0k
3. UNESCO, “About the Silk Roads,” https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/about-silk-roads

Major assignments due:

1. None

February 8 (Tuesday): NO CLASS- classes follow a Friday schedule

February 10 (Thursday): Archaeology of the Silk Road

Readings due before class:

1. K. Kris Hirst, “The History and Archaeology of the Silk Road,” https://www.thoughtco.com/along-the-silk-road-167077
2. Eric A. Powell, “Excavations in Tajikstan have unveiled a city of merchant princes that flourished from the fifth to the eight century A.D.,” https://www.archaeology.org/issues/386-2007/features/8756-a-silk-road-renaissance

Major assignments due:

1. None

February 15 (Tuesday): Materials of the Silk Road

Readings due before class:

1. Dave Roos, “The Silk Road: 8 Goods Traded Along the Ancient Network,” https://www.history.com/news/silk-road-trade-goods
2. “How the Romans Stole Silk Production Secrets from China,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZpIBfBr4UI

Major assignments due:

1. None

February 17 (Thursday): The Han and Chang Chien

Readings due before class:

1. Asian Art Museum, “An Introduction to the Han Dynasty,” https://education.asianart.org/resources/an-introduction-to-the-han-dynasty/
2. Department of Asian Art, “Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.),” https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/hand/hd_hand.htm
3. Dr. Jennifer N. McIntire, “Funeral Banner of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui),” https://smarthistory.org/funeral-banner-of-lady-dai-xin-zhui/

Major assignments due:

         1. None

February 22 (Tuesday): Sogdiana

Readings due before class:

1. “Who were the Sogdians and Why Do They Matter?” https://sogdians.si.edu/introduction/

Major assignments due:

1. Quiz 1

 

Unit 2: Buddhism and the Silk Road

February 24 (Thursday): Introduction to Buddhism

Readings due before class:

1. Dr. Jennifer N. Mcintire, “Introduction to Buddhism,” https://smarthistory.org/introduction-to-buddhism/
2. Dr. Peter Harvey, “The Buddha and Buddhist sacred texts,” https://smarthistory.org/the-buddha-and-buddhist-sacred-texts/

Major assignments due:

1. None

March 1 (Tuesday): The Spread of Buddhism on the Silk Road 1

Readings due before class:

1. Asia Society, “Belief Systems Along the Silk Road,” https://asiasociety.org/education/belief-systems-along-silk-road
2. The Met, “Buddhism along the Silk Road; 5^th-8^th Century,” https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2012/buddhism

Major assignments due:

1. None

March 3 (Thursday): Virtual Field Trip

Readings due before class:

1. None

Major assignments due:

1. Paper 1 Due

March 8 (Tuesday): The Spread of Buddhism on the Silk Road 2

Readings due before class:

1. Dr. Melody Rod-Ari, “Bamiyan Buddhas,” https://smarthistory.org/bamiyan-buddhas/
2. Asian Art Museum, “Beliefs made visible; Buddhist art in South Asia,” https://smarthistory.org/beliefs-made-visible-buddhist-art-in-south-asia/

Major assignments due:

1. None

Unit 3: The Rise of Islam

March 10 (Thursday): Introduction to Islam

Readings due before class:

1. Dr. Elizabeth Macaulay, “Introduction to Islam,” https://smarthistory.org/introduction-to-islam/
2. Dr. Elizabeth Macaulay, “The Five Pillars of Islam,” https://smarthistory.org/the-five-pillars-of-islam/
3. The British Library, “Islamic pilgrimages and sacred spaces,” https://smarthistory.org/islamic-pilgrimages-and-sacred-spaces/
4. Dr. Elizabeth Macaulay, “Arts of the Islamic World,” https://smarthistory.org/arts-of-the-islamic-world/

Major assignments due:

1. None

March 15 (Tuesday): Muslim Monopolies

Readings due before class:

1. Courtney A. Stewart, “Tracing the Development of Ceramics along the Silk Road,” https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/ruminations/2016/ceramics-along-the-silk-road
2. UNESCO, “Did you know?: Muslim Monopoly along the Silk Road,” https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/did-you-know-muslim-monopoly-along-silk-roads

Major assignments due:

1. None

March 17 (Thursday): Virtual Field Trip

Readings due before class:

1. UNESCO, “Did you know?: The Spread of Islam in Southeast Asia through the Trade Routes,” https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/did-you-know-spread-islam-southeast-asia-through-trade-routes

Major assignments due:

1. None

March 22 (Tuesday): Zoroastrianism

Readings due before class:

1. UNESCO, “Yazd,” https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/yazd#:~:text=A%20branch%20of%20the%20Silk,on%20the%20way%20to%20India.&text=Historically%2C%20Yazd%20was%20a%20halt,trade%20route%20across%20southern%20Iran.
2. Penn Museum, “Great Religions along the Silk Road: Zoroastrianism,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehOwCR59BHw

Major assignments due:

1. Paper 1 Revisions Due

Unit 4: Africa

March 24 (Thursday): Timbuktu

Readings due before class:

1. UNESCO, “Timbuktu,” https://smarthistory.org/timbuktu/
2. Father Columba Stewart, OSB and Dr. Beth Harris, “Saving Timbuktu’s Manuscripts,” https://smarthistory.org/saving-timbuktus-manuscripts/

Major assignments due:

1. None

Tuesday 29 (Tuesday): Midterm Review

Readings due before class:

1. None

Major assignments due:

1. None

 

March 31 (Thursday): Midterm

April 5 (Tuesday): Mansa Musa

Readings due before class:

1. Ted-Ed, “Mansa Musa, one of the wealthiest people who ever lived,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3YJMaL55TM

Major assignments due:

1. None

April 7 (Thursday): Djenné Peoples

Readings due before class:

1. Stanley Museum of Art, “Djenné,” https://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/peoples/show/Djenné
2. Dr. Kristina van Dyke and Dr. Steven Zucker, “Lost History: The Terracotta Sculpture of Djenne Djenno,” https://smarthistory.org/lost-history-the-terracotta-sculpture-of-djenne-djenno-2/

Major assignments due:

1. None

 

Unit 5: Europe and the Silk Road

April 12 (Tuesday): Rome

Readings due before class:

1. “Rome Looks East,” in The Silk Road in World History (PDF on course website)

This reading is longer than what is usually assigned, so please give yourself time to complete it.

Major assignments due:

1. Exhibition Due

April 14 (Thursday): Byzantium

Readings due before class:

1. Anna Maria Muthesius, “Silk, Power and Diplomacy in Byzantium,” https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1579&context=tsaconf

This is a specialized essay, so please make note of any questions you have while reading and we will go over them in class

Major assignments due:

1. None

April 19 (Tuesday): NO CLASS

April 21 (Thursday): NO CLASS

April 26 (Tuesday): Vikings

Readings due before class:

1. Faya Causey, “The Ancient Transport of Amber” in Ancient Carved Ambers in the J. Paul Getty Museum, https://www.getty.edu/publications/ambers/
2. The British Library, “Mapping the World,” https://smarthistory.org/mapping-the-world/

Major assignments due:

1. Optional Extra Credit Due

Unit 6: Connections

April 28 (Thursday): Archaeological Evidence

Readings due before class:

1. Tarpong Srisuchat, “Early Chinese and Middle-Eastern Objects from archaeological sites in Thailand Reflecting Cultural Exchange,” https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/sites/default/files/knowledge-bank-article/early_chinese_and_middle-eastern_objects_from_archeological_sites_in_thailand_reflecting_cultural_exchange.pdf

Major Assignments Due:

1. None

May 3 (Tuesday): Marco Polo

Readings due before class:

1. Mark Cartwright, “Marco Polo,” https://www.worldhistory.org/Marco_Polo/ (you don’t need to watch the video)

Major Assignments Due

1. Quiz 2

May 5 (Thursday): Religion

Readings due before class:

1. “Great Religions of the Silk Road: Christianity and Judaism,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBYbHbcD5k0
2. The British Library, “The Buddha’s long ‘journey’ to Europe and Africa,” https://smarthistory.org/the-buddhas-long-journey-to-europe-and-africa/

Major Assignments Due:

1. None

May 10 (Tuesday): Trade

Readings due before class:

1. The British Library, “Travel, trade and exploration in the Middle Ages,” https://smarthistory.org/travel-trade-and-exploration-in-the-middle-ages/

Major Assignments Due:

1. None

May 12 (Thursday): The Modern Silk Road

Readings due before class:

1. TBA

Major Assignments Due:

1. None

May 17 (Tuesday): Final Exam Review

Major Assignments Due:

1. Optional Exhibition Revisions Due

May 19 (Thursday): FINAL EXAM 3:30-5:30 ON ZOOM